Wiggles, the Children's Python

[Bogertophis]

I've noticed going into the hide and coming back out seems to "reset" their behavior with my ball pythons and they'll often go back into food mode. I wonder if snakes have poor object permanence? It seems like that going in and coming out makes them forget what was going on before. In any case I always make sure to keep my hands and everything well clear when they come back out because sometimes they'll act kind of weird, like they're surprised to find me outside even though they just saw me. Losing sight of me during handling also often makes them come back to sniff me even if they just did a moment ago, like they need to make sure I'm still the same person. This isn't very helpful I guess, I just think it's an interesting behavior thing. Maybe entering the hide kind of broke the sequence you were training?

I agree- I think they actually do need to reconnect with our scent or touch- because snakes (at least most of them) don't appear to recognize us visually. Both scent & touch can really help- once you set a snake down, they're easily startled without us showing "I.D." again. They're quite different from most other animals-they take some getting used to.